Pulaski County hires Director of Sports Tourism & Entertainment
Tim Miller to Join the County and Serve as First Director of Sports Tourism & Entertainment
The County of Pulaski, Virginia officially names Tim Miller as the first Director of the newly created Office of Sports Tourism & Entertainment. His new and specialized role will be to oversee the County’s sports tourism and entertainment assets and venues such as the Historic Calfee Park and the Pulaski County Motorsports Park and Event Center, as well as planning for, developing, and implementing strategies to enhance and promote sports tourism and entertainment throughout the community. He will be working with various stakeholders, including the Pulaski County Sports Tourism and Entertainment Authority, sports teams, event organizers, local businesses, other government agencies and County departments, to attract and manage sports and entertainment events that drive economic growth and improve the community’s overall quality of life.
“Pulaski County is positioned and ready to aggressively pursue sports tourism with the help of Tim Miller and his professional experience, and to enjoy all of the benefits that come along with this flourishing and expanding industry sector”, stated Jonathan D. Sweet, County Administrator. “One of the main benefits of adding an enterprising approach to our sports and entertainment facilities and assets, is the ability to generate direct and indirect revenues to the County, to create new and enhanced opportunities for our business community, and to provide high quality facilities and events for our citizens to enjoy.”
“From the very first visit I made to Pulaski County I sensed something special was happening here,” said Tim Miller, Director of Sports Tourism & Entertainment. “The commitment and support from the Board of Supervisors, the STEA, and County leadership, combined with the existing facilities, future plans, and natural assets make it an ideal place for sports tourism and entertainment programming to benefit both the local citizens and visitors. I have no doubt we will establish Pulaski County as a premier destination for sports and entertainment, and I am thrilled to be able to leverage my experience to help realize that potential.”
Virginia is ranked 10th in the nation for sports sector visitor spending, despite lacking its own professional sports franchise. This spending is primarily driven by Virginia’s success in drawing
youth, amateur, and collegiate events and tournaments to the Commonwealth. Sports tourism currently accounts for 8% of all visitor spending in Virginia, and it is growing faster than traditional tourism spending overall.
“What we are understanding is sports tourism is a very large industry, and the opportunities for Virginia, particularly Southwestern Virginia, continues to grow. We also see where sports tourism is rather recession resistant and in fact recovered more than a year ahead of the rest of Virginia’s economy post pandemic”, stated Laura Walters, Chair of the Board of Supervisors. “Pulaski County is adding sports tourism to our economic development portfolio, to further diversify and strengthen our economy and stimulate more visitation and consumer spending for our hospitality, tourism, retail and commercial sectors. This should be a win for our small business community and a big win our citizens who will benefit from the residual biproducts of increased personal consumption expenditures.”
Tim Miller is a graduate of Roanoke College and has received numerous awards, including the Richmond Times-Dispatch “Person of the Year” and the Greater Richmond Chamber of Commerce “Impact Award”. His extensive career experience includes Director of Sales and Marketing for ASM Global – Richmond, VA; Chief Operating Officer for RPM Events Group, LLC – Richmond, VA; Founder and Chief Operating Officer for Richmond 2015, Inc. – Richmond, VA; and, Vice President of Operations for the National Cycling League, Inc. – Miami, FL.
“We are excited to welcome Tim Miller and his family to Pulaski County and have him join the County team that is focused on making Pulaski County a premier destination for both outdoor and indoor sports tourism, recreation, and entertainment”, stated Ashley Coake, Chair of the Sports Tourism & Entertainment Authority (STEA). “Mr. Miller has effectively been appointed to also serve as the Executive Director of the newly formed STEA, and we are confident he will assist the Authority in successfully advancing the County’s sports tourism and entertainment mission.”
Pulaski County’s current sports tourism and entertainment mission is to optimize County’s sports tourism, entertainment, and recreational assets for the benefit of our business community and citizens, and to significantly enhance our local economy and quality of life by attracting and hosting a wide range of sports tourism, entertainment and cultural events, while equally ensuring the Board of Supervisors’ priority to meet our citizens’ health, wellness, and recreational needs is achieved. The County’s current sports tourism and entertainment assets include Historic Calfee Park, the Pulaski County Motorsports Park and Event Center, components of Randolph Park and the future Sportsplex, Virginia’s largest versatile indoor sportsplex and expo center (TBD).
January 16, 2025 @ 12:07 pm
It’s great. I love to know our county is progressing.
January 16, 2025 @ 7:09 pm
what sports! No one comes to the town to shop (no shops), no real restaurants available. A job just created out of the air! An amazing Council and waste of all the money we pay for it’s and personal property tax. Replace the septic system around our great town and try to locate a great restaurant with people wh
o actually want to work. No more bicycle, backpack and fee everything for people who don’t want to work
January 17, 2025 @ 6:19 am
Glad for Tim. …Next consideration for the County should be a Steak House, or seafood restaurant. You want either one of those???. HEAD ON OUT OF THIS COUNTY. Food for thought for the Board of Supervisors. Thanks